There is a good reason REGRET is one of the most powerful words on the planet—IT HURTS!
The most common definition tells the story:
“A painful experience and/or memory from the past.”
Most of us have regrets from the past that we carry around with us like carpenters tote their tools. That’s unavoidable. But we can work hard to keep them from ruling our life in the present. Use them to reach spiritual levels we would otherwise never touch. Use them as catalytic springboards–not paralytic barriers.
The reality is that we all have to live with our mistakes. We don’t have the power to tap an undo key that disintegrates our transgressions so it’s as if they never occurred.
But God can!
The Gospel of Christ frees us from regret’s endless loop of stinging sound bites that keep showing up at our door chortling “trick or treat.”
Did the Apostle Paul regret his past life as a persecutor murdering Christians? Of course! But he allowed God to turn it into a piercingly powerful ministry that reached far and wide for Christ and continues to inspire millions of believers today.
Looking BACK in the rear-view mirror of life means we will miss seeing God’s glory unfolding in FRONT of us. We’ll miss the rainbows, the mountains, and the baby’s smile. Most of all, we’ll miss being powered by God’s incredible rhythms of grace.
Living life through the rear-view mirror means we are not trusting God for how he can use our regrets in his plan for us to praise him and tell others about his salvation gift.
I ask God to help me toss my regrets over the fence to him so I can move forward stronger and better equipped to love him and love others and serve his Kingdom.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Think of one specific REGRET that still haunts you and transfer it to God today. C’mon give it a try.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalms 34:18
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